Tournaments

2017 ITTF Challenge, Polish Open

Finalist decided, Hong Hong prominent but Japanese duo steals show

07 Oct 2017

Required to compete in the preliminary rounds two days earlier in order to reserve their place in the main draw of the Women’s Doubles event at the 2017 ITTF Challenge Polish Open in Czestochowa; Miyu Kato and Miyu Maeda continued their policy of overcoming higher rated adversaries at the semi-final stage of proceedings on the evening of Saturday 7th October.

They overcame, the defensive combination formed by Russia’s Polina Mikhailova and Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus; impressively the duo emerged successful in three straight games (11-6, 11-9, 11-5).

At the final hurdle, the Hong Kong partnership of Doo Hoi Kem and Lee Ho Ching awaits; equally impressively they accounted for the combination formed by Slovenia’s Alex Galic and Switzerland’s Rachel Moret, the no.3 seeds (11-9, 11-8, 11-8).

Success for Hong Kong as anticipated in the penultimate round of the Women’s Doubles event, it was the same in the Men’s Doubles competition with Ho Kwan and Ng Pak Nam, the no.2 seeds emerging successful.

They ended the hopes of the host nation by overcoming Daniel Gorak and Wang Zengyi but not without some difficulties; they needed the full five games to ensure victory (8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 11-5).

Certainly the combination of the left handed Ho Kwan Kit and the right handed Ng Pak Nam form a partnership for the future; equally, their opponents in the final, two right handers in the guise of India’s Harmeet Desai and Soumyajit Ghosh, the no.5 seeds, are of a similar phase in their career.

Harmeet Desai, on duty at the recent ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in Ahmedabad, is as very consistent top spin player, Soumyajit Ghosh, winner of the Men’s Singles title earlier this year at the ITTF Challenge Seamaster Chile Open, is a player with a high skill level.

In a doubles partnership Soumyajit Ghosh is very much the architect; such was the situation in their semi-final duel in Czestochowa; they accounted for the powerful German pairing of Benedikt Duda and Steffen Mengel, the no.8 seeds, in four games (11-9, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9).

The Men’s Doubles final is scheduled for 2.00pm on Sunday 8th October, followed immediately by the Women’s Doubles final, the Men’s Singles final and the Women’s Singles final.